The Female Reproductive Tract Microbiome—Implications for Gynecologic Cancers and Personalized Medicine

The microbial colonization of the lower female reproductive tract has been extensively studied over the past few decades. In contrast, the upper female reproductive tract including the uterine cavity and peritoneum where the ovaries and fallopian tubes reside were traditionally assumed to be sterile under non-pathologic conditions. However, recent studies applying next-generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene have provided...